Investigating The Protective Effect Of Spermine Against Toxicity Of Lead And / Or Gamma Radiation

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says that lead exposure in children may cause comas, seizures, and death. Because a child’s brain is still developing, the damage of lead exposure is more severe. Not only does lead affect the way the brain physically develops, but lasting neurological and behavioral damage includes lower IQ scores, higher risk of attention deficit disorders and hearing impairments, decreases in impulse control, and potentially violent behavior. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician who runs the pediatric medical residency program at Flint’s Hurley Medical Center, studied blood lead level tests and found that the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels had gone from 2.4 percent to 4.9 percent citywide (Barry-Jester). Hanna-Attisha’s findings showed a rise to sixteen percent in neighborhoods where lead levels were known to be elevated in the water. She points out, "Lead only last in body a short time … and when you screen them, it's no longer elevated. So we've missed children's peak lead levels and that's why everyone says it

(Campbell, 2016). Two giants in childhood lead poisoning research and advocacy, Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. David Bellinger, summarize the adverse effects of lead very completely, yet succinctly: “Lead is a devastating poison. It damages children’s brains, erodes intelligence, diminishes creativity and the ability to weigh consequences and make good decisions, impairs language skills, shortens attention span, and predisposes to hyperactive and aggressive behavior. Lead exposure in early childhood is linked to later increased risk for dyslexia and school failure.”(p. 3).

Similarly, in the article, The Need for Vigilance: the Persistence of Lead Poisoning in Children published in Pediatrics, a peer-review journal, the authors write the article with the intent of reiterating the need for medical professionals to remain vigilant with the accurate treatment of lead poisoning. The article in Pediatrics is written by doctors for clinical professionals and is based upon a report of "a case of lead poisoning associated with ingestion of a toy necklace in a 4-year-old child" (Florin, T., Brent, R., &

Potential lead contamination from drinking water presents a significant health risk. Recent examples of this lead contamination include Flint, Michigan, a city that experienced a large increase in the number of people, especially children, who exhibited symptoms of lead poisoning. A March 9, 2016 article in the Washington Post reported data from the Environmental Protection Agency that indicated approximately 350 schools and day-care centers across the US failed lead tests approximately 470 times between 2012 and 2015. Seven years ago, according to the Post, a study concluded that hundreds of young children in Washington, DC, had potentially damaging amounts of lead in their blood due to contamination in the city’s tap water. The toxin can cause permanent developmental and behavioral issues.

Imagine you're drinking a cup of water and every single drop is poison. This could be happening to you. 50% of the United States have lead in their drinking water. This is because of lead based pipes. Lead based pipes have been leaching lead into water which connects to drinking water. It can also be because of the state's water utilities that might have lead in their water. ( EPA's safe drinking water information system database reports, three, 2016 by Isabella DC, USA Today) says Lead can cause brain damage, cancer, seizures, hearing loss, learning disabilities, and more!

The major sources of lead here were gasoline, paint chips and water from old plumbing. After lead was removed from gasoline and paint, blood lead levels (BLL) in children decreased on average from 16 mcg/dL to less than 3 mcg/dL. Residual lead persists in the environment, however. A toxic level is currently defined as 5 mcg/dL. In U.S. children age 1-5, the prevalence of BLLs >10 mcg/dL decreased from 88% to 4.4% between 1976 and 1994 and further dropped to 0.8% by 2010. Yet there are still almost half a million children in the U.S. with levels >5

Everyone is susceptible to the dangers of lead contamination; but children are especially at risk. High levels of lead in children can lead to brain and kidney damage and damage to red blood cells. Low levels of lead can also cause problems that are less life-threatening but can be just as devastating, like low IQ, hearing and language impairment, reduced attention span and poor school performance. In adults, exposure to lead can lead to an increased risk for high blood pressure. Pregnant women and their fetuses are extremely vulnerable to lead. In women, lead increases the risk of infertility and miscarriages; in fetuses, lead can cause low birth weight, premature birth and impaired mental and physical development.

There are multiple reasons to expect that a person's lead exposure as a child could affect

weighs 70 kg. These results do not account for the levels of toxicity in women,

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, and 81% of homes were built prior to 1978 when lead paint was eliminated. The state requires lead screening for all infants and toddlers. In 2015, 82% of Boston children were tested; 2.7% of those tested had lead levels >5 μg/dL on screening tests, with 2.3% testing 5-9 and 0.36% testing >10 on confirmatory testing . In June 2016 Massachusetts DPH compared data on racial make-up by census tract and rate of elevated lead levels and concluded, “After adjusting for old housing stock, poverty, and English language isolation, race/ethnicity is a driving factor of lead exposure”. Despite laws supporting abatement, the DPH estimates that only 10% of older homes have been deleaded.2 Massachusetts has a Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program that helps families reduce exposure to prevent poisoning and detect elevated levels to facilitate treatment.

The amazing statistic that is offered by scorecard is that more than half of these are located in areas where people live below the poverty level. While ample information about Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust in older buildings are widely advertised and addressed and pose the biggest risk to the lead poisoning in children, there are other sources of lead exposure. Such as in contaminated air, water and soil as well as batteries, home renovations, auto repair shops, and improper storage and disposal of lead containing products

The improved screening and treatment of lead poisoning decreased the severity of symptoms usually seen. However, the level of lead in the blood does not establish what symptoms are seen, since lead in blood only establishes current exposure. Recently, studies have shown that a long exposure to low amounts of lead may have severe neurobehavioral effects that are not diagnosed until the child enters school (Singhal et. al., 1980).

The effects of prolonged exposure to lead will result in lead poisoning. It causes behavior problems, hearing problems, kidney damage, and slowed body growth (Heller).

When lead enters the human body, it is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is deposited in the teeth and bones where it accumulates over time. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, kidney and brain damage. Lead exposure can also cause miscarriage and infertility. The effects are even more severe in children. Lead can affect children’s brain development resulting in decreased intelligence quotient (IQ), shortened attention span and increased antisocial behaviour. At high levels of exposure, lead may attack the brain and central nervous system, causing coma. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may continue to suffer mental retardation and behavioural disorders. Furthermore, pregnant woman exposed to lead can

This statement makes its point. It is only safe for no lead to be in the body. Another question some may ask is why is lead so toxic? Like minerals, when consumed, they spread throughout the body. The consequence is, lead replaces some of the metals bodies need (Helmenstine). To provide reasoning, decreased IQ levels from lead means that lead switched with another metal, calcium (Helmenstine). When lead replaces calcium in transmissions of electrical impulses to the brain, it disrupts the way to recall or think, thus making you not as smart (Helmenstine). Another example are neurons, and they take in and use calcium +2. Because lead is so similar and also possessing a +2 charge, acting as a substitute for calcium. Once lead ions are taken in, they will cause damage to the nervous system (Object Retrieval).